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Editorial

Ohio helps Honda set a benchmark

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Honda has hit a milestone by becoming the first Japanese car company to become a net exporter of
vehicles from the United States, and central Ohio is at the heart of that.

The majority of the 108,705 vehicles exported last year by the automaker were assembled in
either Marysville or East Liberty. A total of 69,680 of the cars Honda exported to 40 countries
rolled off the assembly line in those Union County plants.

The two sites also broke annual production records, turning out 492,409 vehicles in Marysville —
which produces Honda’s flagship sedan, the Accord — and 242,363 in East Liberty, where the popular
CR-V crossover is made.

This achievement is another piece of great news for the deepening three-decade relationship
between Honda and Ohio, which began with Honda coming to the state to make motorcycles. The company
employs more than 13,000 people at its two central Ohio plants as well as several other
manufacturing and office locations around the state. Last year Honda made Marysville its de facto
U.S. headquarters when it said it would move 50 jobs and its North American sales chief there from
California. Its central Ohio operations also got a boost in profile and prestige by being selected
two years ago as the location where Honda will manufacture its much-anticipated high-end Acura NSX
sports car.

Honda has made or announced well over $1 billion in investment in Ohio in just the past three
years. The latest announcement came in August, when the automaker said it would spend $215 million
on new offices in Marysville and manufacturing space in Anna, in western Ohio.

One interesting feature of the Marysville expansion will be a public “heritage center” that will
showcase Honda’s history and work in Ohio to visitors, school groups and car enthusiasts. Along
with the buzz surrounding the Acura NSX, this should help raise awareness of the fact that Ohio is
the center of Honda’s U.S. operations.

Honda executives have made it clear that its Ohio employees are a critical part of its success
in America. In announcing plans for the Acura NSX, Hidenobu Iwata, president and CEO of Honda of
America Manufacturing, said the decision about making the car in Ohio is “about people. The
location of this facility is in the midst of one of the greatest collections of engineering talent
in the world.”

The company has returned dozens of times over the value of the public incentives it has received
over the years. In Union County, which includes Marysville, Honda’s impact as an employer is
massive: About 1 in 4 jobs are at companies based in Japan. Honda has more employees in Ohio than
any other car company, foreign or domestic.

What’s more, the company’s impact in Ohio extends far beyond its own operations. Dozens of
auto-parts suppliers are in Ohio largely because of the proximity of Honda, their major customer. A
comprehensive study nine years ago found Honda’s annual economic impact in Ohio to be $36 billion,
a figure that’s surely much higher today.

Congratulations to Honda on its milestone and its continued success — which also means success
for Ohio.